Teaching Dragons to Swim
by NoDayButToday076
Summary: Hermione and her family go on vacation the summer after her 7th year. Draco and his mother go on a vacation as well. The two meet up in a rather rude manner, causing some very interesting problems for both of them. DMHG...R
1. Graduation

_a/n…well kids...I've decided to make a new pen name because the other one kinda lost its readers. Some of you may know me as Stardust N Dreams. If you'd like to read more of my stories, Ihave quite a few, then go to that pen name and read them! I based this story on a movie I saw on Fox or the WB or something like that...so if it seems a bit familiar, that may be why. I hope you enjoy! Please...review!_

_Disclaimer…Yadda yadda, I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters, JK Rowling does, and I don't own the movie on which this is based, FOX Family does. So now you can't sue me! BUT…I do own Jeff, I just included him for kicks, and of course…there will be problems including him. (grins)_

"Harry, please promise me you'll write." Hermione Granger pleaded to her friend, he laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Of course I will, what do you think I am? Bloody mad?"

"Considering you just killed the darkest wizard of all time…yes." She said seriously, but trying to fight back a smile.

"Hey, he didn't do it alone ya' know!" A redhead announced from beside him.

"Yes, yes, of course Ron. You were off fighting death eaters, you're mad as well. Feel better?" Hermione smirked.

"Much." Ron said proudly.

Hermione sat back against the chairs in her private common room that she shared with the Head Boy. "I'm going to miss this place so much." She sighed.

"We all will." Harry said with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "This place is our home."

"It'll be so strange to go home for the summer, and then know that I won't be coming back here, back to all of my friends." She said, a lump forming in her throat and tears welling in her eyes.

Ron hugged his friend, "Now none of that Hermione, you promised." He laughed, pushing her chin up with the backs of his fingers.

"Right, well," She paused, looking around the room. "I guess we should get down to the feast."

"Yes, lets." Ginny chimed in from the corner of the room. She had been sitting there watching as her best friend, her brother, and her boyfriend, all said their tearful goodbyes. She hadn't wanted to interrupt the golden-trio's last moments together.

"You're lucky Gin, you're coming back next year." Hermione laughed, brushing a stray tear from her cheek.

"Lucky? No I'm not, none of you will be here anymore." She said, looking at the floor and tucking a strand of red curls behind her ear.

"Lets get out of here before the watergates open again, please." Ron said, pushing the group toward the door.

"Just, let me check my room once more, make sure I didn't miss anything." Hermione said, "You go ahead, I'll catch up."

Catching the hint that she wanted to be alone, her friends left the room and began walking down toward the Great Hall. Harry placed his arm around Ginny, and Ron walked beside his best friend.

Hermione sat down on her bed, glancing around the room one last time. She knew she hadn't forgotten anything, she just wanted to take one last look by herself. This year had been the best of her life, it had started out horribly, considering Malfoy had been Head Boy with her being Head Girl, but when his title had been revoked and a very nice Ravenclaw had replaced him, it had been wonderful. She had taken pride in deducting points from Draco every chance she got.

She had gotten even closer with Ron and Harry since the defeat of Voldemort around Christmas time, she still didn't like to talk about it though. That was in the past as far as she was concerned, and now everyone could sleep peacefully again.

Of course, she couldn't sleep peacefully again, she had never done that to begin with. Now she was leaving her home, the one place she trusted most, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The Head Girl sighed, standing up and smoothing out her graduation robes. Taking one last look around the room, she started toward the Great Hall.

She took a seat at the head table next to the Head Boy and smiled at him. "I guess this is it, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you have your speech all ready?"

"Yeah, I was up all night writing it." She laughed, amazed he hadn't heard her raving all night about how horrible it was.

"It was really great to spend this year with you Jeff." She said.

"You too, Hermione. I'm glad I go to know you better." He ran a hand over his light brown hair, blue eyes studying her face.

"Here goes Dumbledore." She sighed, facing the Headmaster as he stood up and gained attention with a tap of his spoon to his water glass.

"Another year has ended, with a bang I might say. This was the year that the Dark Lord was defeated. I won't go into details, you all know the story, but I would like to take this time to mourn those students who were lost in the initial attack. So if you would all bow your heads and take this time to say a prayer or whatnot for them." There was a moment of silence as all the students bowed their heads to remember their lost classmates. Hermione thought of Neville, and how brave he had been, trying to take down that death eater like that.

"Now, that's enough of mourning, time for celebration!" Dumbledore closed his eyes tightly and stood there, scrunching his nose and pulling his hands into balls.

"He looks…constipated." Jeff whispered from beside Hermione, it took all she had not to burst into a fit of giggles.

"Alas, apparently I can't wiggle my nose, so I guess a wave of the hand will have to do." The red-faced Headmaster said, waving his arm to a great amount of laughter, as piles of food appeared on the tables.

"Our last meal." Hermione whispered, piling her plate with food.

"What was that?" Jeff said from beside her, his mouth full of chicken.

Hermione had to laugh, "Nothing."

Jeff shrugged and went back to his chicken drumstick and Hermione looked across the hall and down to the tables. Harry and Ron were having a heated discussion, Hermione inferred it was probably about Quidditch because Ron was using a breadstick and waving it through the air as if it were a broom. Ginny was talking to one of her 6th year friends, and everyone seemed pretty happy. She looked toward the Slytherin table, her eyes scanning it up and down, Draco sat between his two enormous cronies, and Pansy sat across from him. The blonde had a scowl on his face as he looked at Pansy who was talking animatedly with her hands.

"You really should eat you know." Jeff said, taking a drink of his pumpkin juice.

"Oh, yes. I was just daydreaming." She said, looking down at her plate and spooning some mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"So what are your plans for the summer?" He asked after Hermione had eaten a little more of the food on her plate.

"My parents claimed that they have a big surprise for me when I get home." She shrugged, probably some ruddy family vacation. "You?"

"Sitting at home, then after that I'm going off to be trained to work in the Ministry." He said happily.

"Congratulations." She smiled. "I don't even know what to decide to do, so many options open to me, it'll be a hard decision." She said, and it was true. There were so many different departments that wanted her in the Ministry, but she just didn't want to work there.

"Yeah, my mum and dad both want me to work there, and I've always wanted to. So why not, right?" He gave a lopsided grin and Hermione nodded.

"As long as you're happy."

After the food had been cleared and the chatter had died down, Hermione became increasingly more nervous toward giving her speech. Dumbledore gave a small one before introducing Hermione to give hers. She stood up at the podium set up and smiled at her friends and classmates.

_Don't be nervous, they're all your friends. _She thought to herself.

"You have no idea at all how long it took me to get this speech just the way I wanted it. I was up for night on end, just trying to perfect it. But I don't like it anymore." She began, holding up her speech in her hand. "So…I'm going to wing it and just say what I feel." She threw the parchment down to the floor and looked up, Harry and Ron both had broad grins on their faces and shook their heads for her to go ahead.

"When I first came here, I had no friends at all, I was so depressed my mom almost took me out. But then, I met Harry and Ron. After a rough first year, we were best friends. Harry was of course, the Boy Who Lived, everyone had heard of him, but he was so much more to me. Ron was the redheaded, and red-hot tempered youngest brother of a wonderful family. They both taught me so much, and they're both like my brothers. They're of course not my only friends I've met in my days at Hogwarts, but they're my best friends. We've been through so much together, as you all know, we defeated _him_ together. We've had our differences, of course, what friends don't, but we're still best friends all the same. I'm not going to talk today about my friends, I've done that already. Today, I'm going to tell you what I've learned from them. I've learned that its loyalty and friendship that get you through everything, and its power, not purity, that proves how good of a person you are. You all know, thanks to a certain blonde Slytherin I'm sure, that I'm not of pureblood, in fact, I'm of muggle heritage." She stopped to take a look at Malfoy who glared back at her.

"But, I still helped to defeat the Dark Lord with the power of my friends. Friendship is the most powerful weapon of all, friendship, loyalty, and love. Loyalty, staying true to your friends, is just part of that power. And love. Love is what has kept the three of us together all of those years, I love you Harry, and I love you Ron, you're both like brothers to me, and that is why our friendship is so strong." She stopped, taking a moment to smile at them.

"And so, to end my speech, I'd like to give a quote by a famous Muggle named Joseph Roux about losing a friend, not because I've lost one, but because I'm leaving them and I hope never to lose them. We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan, and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness in losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here, every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence."

By the end of the speech, everyone was in tears, or at least close to them. With the exception of Malfoy. Hermione sat down and listened as Jeff gave his speech about his teachers. Looking at the broad grins on Harry and Ron's faces.

"Great speech." She said when he sat down next to her.

"Thanks, you too." He smiled at her and held her eye for a moment before Dumbledore began to speak again.

"Now, for the graduation ceremony. I would like all 7th years to line up, alphabetically please." He waited until there was a line settled in front of him. "Very good. Now, I will call you by name and would you please come up and receive your diploma. These papers are very important, they signify that you have completed your years at Hogwarts and you can no do magic outside of school." He smiled again, dark eyes shining with excitement.

As he named off the list, Hermione thought of at least one memory that had to do with each person. She had been daydreaming until she heard her name.

"Hermione Granger." She looked up at the headmaster and began to walk up the steps to him and the line of teachers beside him. She took her diploma, and without stopping to think, just hugged the Headmaster. He of course hugged her back and she went down the line of teachers. By the time she had taken her seat, Dumbledore was up to the M's, she watched as Draco Malfoy received his diploma, wondering if he would end up being the next Voldemort. His father had died, and now he only had his mother left, she wondered at all if he had changed.

"Harry Potter." Dumbledore said proudly, and the entire student body suddenly got very quiet. Harry walked up to the old Headmaster, took his diploma, and went to go down the line of teachers when all of a sudden there was a clapping sound. Everyone looked around, but Hermione was the first to see it. Severus Snape stood at the end of the teachers line, clapping. For Harry Potter.

After the initial shock of Snape clapping for Harry wore off, everyone clapped all together. Hermione wore a broad grin as he came down to sit next to her.

"Ronald Weasley." Dumbledore said a few moments later, Hermione watched as Ron received his diploma and went through the line.

After everyone had gotten their diplomas and sat down at their own house tables, Dumbledore stood again, for the last time that night.

"This year is now over, and we've lost one of our finest classes to the world. I hope you all do well in your lives, and prosper to your fullest. Never let anything stand in your way. Whether it be a werewolf, the murderer of your parents, or just a boggart in the closet. As Hermione said earlier, your friends are your greatest strength. Take pride in them." With that he ended his speech and dismissed the hall. They were now free to go down to the station and wait for the Hogwarts Express to take them back to London.

"It's over, Harry." Hermione whispered to her friend, he looked up at her sadly.

"No, it'll never be over Hermione. We can always call this place home."

Once they got down to the platform, they said their goodbyes to their teachers. Hagrid was a mess, sobbing hysterically.

"No, no, its okay Hagrid. Please don't cry, we promise to write you every month if we have to." Hermione comforted.

"Ye' promise?"

"Of course Hagrid." Harry chimed in, watching as the great scarlet steam engine pulled into the station.

"One last hug Hagrid." Ron said, pulling his friends in close to the half-giant. "We'll miss you."

"Yes, I'll miss you ever so much Hagrid, make sure you come and visit sometime!" Hermione smiled.

"G'bye everyone." He sniffed, searching through his coat to find an oversized handkerchief.

"Bye Hagrid, we love you." Harry said, boarding the train along with his friends. They found their compartment and looked out the window, waving to him.

Once the train began to move they all sat back and relaxed. Hermione sighed and looked out the window.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Ron asked, scooting over next to her.

"Nothing. I think I'll go for a walk, sit up in the head's compartment for a little bit." She smiled to show that nothing was wrong.

"Alright. We'll be here." Harry said, turning back to Ginny who was cuddled up against him.

Hermione walked out and Harry looked at Ron. "When are you gonna do it, mate?"

"I'm still not sure, she seems so depressed and all that. I don't want to add to her confusion." The redhead sighed, putting his chin in his hands.

"Maybe that's what could cheer her up though." Ginny reasoned.

"I guess I will once she gets back, ask her to go for a walk or something."

"Good idea." Harry agreed.

Meanwhile, Hermione walked up toward the front compartments, hoping to find Jeff in their private box. Sure enough, there he sat, reading the Witches Weekly. She didn't bother knocking but entered cautiously.

"Hey Jeff." She said softly.

"Oh, hey Hermione. You scared me." He smiled, putting the paper down on the seat.

"Sorry, I just needed away from it all." She said, sitting down on the seat across from him.

"So you came to me?" He laughed, showing those white teeth of his again.

"I figured, why not, you were always good for a laugh."

"I suppose so." He said, looking out the window. "Hermione…"

She looked up at him, "Yes?"

"Never mind, its not important anymore." He sighed, waving his hand as if to brush the thought away.

"What isn't? Or at least, why not?"

"I'm not going to see you anymore, its pointless."

Hermione had a feeling she knew what was coming, and she didn't mind. She had secretly been harboring a crush on Jeff since she had met him. But of course it would have been bad for her title to say anything, so she kept it a secret. She got up and went over to sit on the bench beside him, he looked up at her and she smiled.

"Jeff," She started, taking his hands in hers.

"No, its no matter Hermione, its too late now."

Being the stubborn person that she was, she wanted to tell him to shut up and listen to her, but of course she couldn't do that. So she did the only thing she knew to do to get him to be quiet. She kissed him.

He was surprised for a moment, but he kissed her back. Softly at first, but Hermione increased the pressure and Jeff gladly obliged. This was nice for her to just vent some frustration and in a wonderful way.

After a few moments, Hermione pulled away, slightly out of breath and lips swollen. The grin on her face hid it well though, and Jeff was the same.

"Its never too late Jeff." She said softly, putting her forehead to his. He kissed her softly on the lips again and pulled away from her, hoping she would settle up against him, she did. He held her for what seemed like the longest time, just absorbing her presence.

"I should get back, they'll be wondering where I am." She whispered, moving to get up.

"Hermione, promise me I'll see you again." He said, keeping her next to him.

"I promise Jeff, like I said, its not the end." She kissed him softly on the lips before getting up.

"Wait for me once we get off the train, will you?" He called as she was about to leave the car.

"Yes, of course." She smiled, blowing him a kiss and walking out the door. There was a huge grin on her face as she walked toward the compartment where she had originally came from. She came in to see Ron staring out the window and Harry and Ginny peacefully asleep against each other.

"They look cute." She giggled softly as she took a seat next to Ron opposite the sleeping couple.

"Yeah." He said offhandedly. "Hey Mione?" She looked up at him waiting for him to continue. "Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, Ron." She smiled, standing up with him and leaving the two alone in the compartment as they slept. The train just kept rolling right on home.

_a/n…well, this is nothing like it will turn out to be, I just decided to start it here. Draco didn't do much in this chapter, but he will later, I promise. Until then!_

_Love and Fluff,_

_Natalie_


	2. Ruddy Family Vacation

_a/n…Chapter two! Yay._

_Disclaimer…I don't own Harry Potter…does this come as a surprise to you?_

Hermione and Ron walked down the hallways in the cars, looking in random doors and waving to their friends, they made it all the way to the back of the train where there was an empty compartment.

"Oh, I'd forgotten how long this train was, I'm tired." Hermione laughed, sitting on the seat in the small compartment.

"Hermione…" Ron began, she looked up at him, but he looked away out the window. "I…I don't know how to tell you this…" He paused again as she looked at him intently, although he was still staring out the window. "Ever since I met you, I've…well…" He looked at her, almost gasping for words.

Hermione nodded, knowingly. "Ron…"

"No, please. Let me finish." He stopped her, wanting to go on. She silenced herself and waited for him to speak again. "EversinceImetyouI'vehadacrushonyou, pleasedon'thateme." He said in a blur.

"What did you say?" She giggled, moving in closer incase he whispered it this time.

"Ever since I met you, Hermione, I've had a crush on you. Please don't hate me." He said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

Hermione sighed, "Ron, you're one of my best friends, and I really don't want to ruin our friendship. Of course I don't hate you, but I would feel horrible if we dated, and then something happened and I lost you." She said seriously, holding onto his hands. Ron nodded sadly, not saying anything.

The brunette smiled before kissing her friend softly on the cheek, "Now listen, someday you're going to find a wonderful girl, and you'll fall in love, and have a beautiful extravagant wedding. And I'll be there through it all."

"I understand Hermione, I'm sorry I just dropped this on you." He whispered, suddenly interested in his shoes.

"Don't be. Better now than later, right?" She laughed quietly before standing up, "We should go Ron, Harry and Ginny should be waking up soon and we're almost home."

He stood up next to her, and with a slight smile turned toward the door, she thought for a moment then said, "Wait." Ron turned around and she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. Startled by the contact, he stood there for a moment before hugging her back, not wanting to let go.

"Lets go," she whispered, releasing him and walking out of the compartment. The redhead stood, startled for a moment and then followed his friend back down the train.

The two walked into the compartment their friends were sitting in at the same time, only to be met by the sight of Harry and Ginny snogging.

"Oy!" Ron said, covering his eyes. Hermione laughed and blushed a little.

Harry looked up at the two of them, wiping off the corner of his mouth. He laughed nervously, looking at Ron for another reaction. Ginny winked at Hermione and the two girls burst into hysterical laughter.

"Erm…sorry mate." Ron said, looking a little sheepish.

"Its alright," Harry replied, pulling Ginny closer to him and smiling at her brother.

"Well then, I need to go and check on some of the other compartments and talk to some people. I'll be back soon." Hermione said, glad to get away from the awkward silence in the room.

She walked down the halls, going into compartments occasionally to check and make sure no one was doing anything mischievous. She found Malfoy in a compartment by himself.

"What do you want, Granger?" He spat.

"Making sure you aren't doing anything asinine." She replied, looking around the room. He was alone, doing absolutely nothing. "What _are_ you doing anyway?"

He sneered, "What does it matter to you?"

"Well, normally when someone is sitting alone in their compartment, not reading, or eating, or sleeping…something is going on."

He shrugged, "Am I not allowed to think anymore?"

She rolled her eyes, "Very well." Taking one last look around the compartment, she left him to return to her friends.

Draco, however, got up to watch her walk back down the aisle of the train, wondering exactly why she hadn't demanded to do a full scale search of his compartment. He shrugged again and went back to staring on the window. He had only his mother to return home to this year, and she had promised him a surprise when he returned home.

"Ruddy Mudblood." He muttered, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes for a short nap.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny were eating some sweets from the trolley that had just gone by when Hermione walked in. She took a seat next to Ron, who avoided eye contact with her and looked at Harry and Ginny, who were sharing a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

_They look so, content._ She thought, smiling inwardly.

"The train is almost to the station, I can see the platform in the distance." Ron said, looking out the window and squinting at a dark object that was beginning to take the form of a train station.

Hermione nodded as the rest of them began to pack up their things, she sat for a moment, contemplating the weight of exactly what was about to happen.

"This is it." She whispered, feeling tears stinging her eyes.

"Don't think of it that way 'Mione." Harry said, helping her up and putting his arm around her. "Think of it, as a new beginning. Besides, we still have all summer to do something before we have to actually get down to it and start working."

"I guess. Most of my summer will probably be spent on some family vacation though, I won't get to see you at all." She sighed, furrowing her eyebrows

"Then we'll all make a trip to wherever it is you're going to be, and come stay with you for a few weeks." Ron said, smiling.

"Promise?" She sniffled and tried to fight back the tears as the train rolled into the station.

"We promise." Harry replied as he hugged her, Ron put his arms around her as well and Ginny stood to watch as the Golden Trio had their last few moments together before they stepped off the train and into the real world.

_A few days later..._

"Hermione! Are you almost packed? Dad wants to get a move on before we miss our flight!"

"I'll be down in a minute, Mum!" She replied, taking one last look around her room. She gasped and ran over to her dresser, picking up a picture of Harry, Ron, and herself and placing it into one of the three suitcases sitting on her bed.

"I feel like I'm moving away…not going on a vacation." She sighed as she closed the suitcase, eyeing her empty closet and bare vanity.

"Hermione!" Her father yelled. "Come on! We don't have all day!"

She sighed and levitated the suitcases down the stairs with her wand. If there was one good thing, and possibly the only good thing, about being out of school, it was that she could use magic whenever she wanted to.

"Thank goodness!" Her mother said impatiently as her father loaded the suitcases into the trunk of their minivan. "Do we have everything?"

"I hope so…because we need to leave before we miss our flight." Her father replied, looking at his watch and climbing into the van.

Hermione and her mother climbed in as well and the van began to move away from the house. Hermione stared out the window on the way to the airport, wishing she could be with her friends instead of going to a beach. After all, who needs a beach when you're going to be there by yourself?

Her mother had informed her the day when she got off the train that they would be taking a month long trip to one of the beaches along the coast. Hermione, unlike any other girl her age would have been, was not excited.

"We've got a wonderful condo all planned too, darling." Her mother said, looking at a brochure. "Its right on the beach, and it has two bathrooms, a hot tub, full sized kitchen, two bedrooms…and relaxation written all over it."

They reached the airport and got loaded onto the plane, but Hermione had other things on her mind. She took out a notebook and began writing letters to Harry and Ron, missing them more as each minute passed.

"This is going to be miserable." She sighed.

"Oh, perk up sweetie, maybe you'll meet some cute boy at the condo next to ours." Her mother winked, patting her leg.

"Mum, that could be disastrous." She said, imagining having to actually tell a muggle that she was a witch.

"Why are you so against this anyway?" She said, looking concerned. "It's a family vacation, probably one of the last ones we'll ever take."

"I miss my friends." Hermione stated, staring out the window as the clouds rolled over the wings.

"You'll see them when we get home, you'll still have two months left of summer."

"I suppose."

The plane began descending and Hermione put away her notebook, wishing desperately for the ability to take out her wand and cast a motion sickness curing spell on herself.

The Granger's finally made it out of their airport and to their rental vehicle, after about an hour and a half of fighting in the lines of the airport. Hermione, meanwhile, had grown more upset and more impatient.

"Once you get a glimpse of the ocean, you won't even think about them until we leave." Her dad assured her, loading the suitcases into the vehicle.

"Alright." She said, finally giving in and realizing that no matter how much she hated it, she was going to have to enjoy the vacation anyway. "I just want to get there, get in the hot tub, and relax." She said, imagining herself surrounded by the bubbles.

Hermione first glimpsed the ocean as they were driving along one of the main stretches of road in the small town where they were staying. She had to admit, it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. They drove alongside the beach and she watched as people ran, swam, and walked their dogs in the dying light of dusk. Sunsets, she decided, had to be most beautiful over an ocean.

They reached the condo and pulled into the driveway and Hermione stepped out to feel the overpowering heat and humidity of the atmosphere.

"This is pretty amazing, I have to admit." She said.

"I told you." Her mother replied, smiling and helping her father unload the suitcases.

"Can I have the key? I want to go check out the house." She smiled, holding her hand out to her father.

"Only if you help us with these suitcases." Her father smiled.

Taking the hint, Hermione took out her wand and levitated the suitcases up to the landing where they could most easily be taken into the house. She walked up the old wooden stairs and put the key in the door to unlock it. She found it strange, however, that the door was already unlocked.

"Hmm." She said, opening the door and looking around inside. There was no one to be seen, so she levitated the suitcases into the living room and began to walk through the house.

As she turned a corner to walk down a hallway, she ran into something that was completely unexpected. A person. Not just any person, a person clad only in a towel tied around his waist. That person was no other than…

"Malfoy?" She said, staring incredulously.

"Granger?" He said, looking rather confused.

"What are you doing here?"

"I have half the mind to ask you the same question." He replied.

"This is our beach house, we're staying here for a month on vacation." She said, looking around the room as if she were dreaming.

"No, this is _our_ beach house. My mother and I rented it a few weeks ago."

"Well, I'm sure we can just call the travel agency and figure this out easily." She said, turning around to go back into the living room.

"Mum, Dad, something is wrong." She said, walking into the living room.

"What?" Her father said, looking worried.

Draco strolled into the room, now wearing a pair of jeans and a black button up shirt with the top few buttons undone.

Hermione looked back and pointed toward him, "_That_ is what is wrong."

_A/N…well then, this could be interesting eh? I've got to admit, I've missed writing these stories. So review! It'll make me write faster! Let me know what you think so far!_

_Love and Fluff,_

_Natalie_


	3. Just One Week

_A/N…Chapter 3! Yay. _

_Disclaimer…I really don't own it. Promise. _

"Who is this?" Her mother asked, staring at the man standing behind her daughter.

"Draco Malfoy," He replied for her, his face remaining grim.

"What is going on?" Her father said, apparently confused.

"Well…_you _are in _our_ vacation house." Draco said curtly.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Granger replied, looking to her husband for support.

"Obviously the travel agency made some sort of mistake, Mum. We can just call and straighten everything out." Hermione said, walking toward the phone sitting on the counter.

"Are you here alone?" Her father said, looking toward Draco.

"No, my mother went out to get groceries, she'll be home soon."

"Well, hopefully we'll have this sorted out before then." Mr. Granger said, dialing the number of the travel agent.

Within a few minutes and raised voices coming from Mr. Granger, the man hung up the phone and walked back to where the two women had taken seats on the couch. Draco sat smugly in an armchair, his arms stretched out along its back.

"It was their mistake, but they don't have another house for us just yet, they said it'd be at least a week before one became free. So we're going to have to figure something out." He sighed.

At that moment Narcissa Malfoy walked through the door, her eyes widening at the unexpected guests and then going directly to Draco with confusion.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I presume?" Hermione's father stood up and held out his hand to her, the woman shook it timidly, still confused.

"We have a slight problem, mother." Draco informed her.

"What would that be? Who are these people, Draco?"

"These…are the Grangers." His mother's eyes moved directly to Hermione, obviously realizing who she was. "And, the bloody muggle travel agency you hired, double booked us in this same condo."

"Oh, my." She said, looking rather concerned.

"They said that they'd have another condo for one of us in a week or so." Hermione's father chimed in.

Narcissa attempted to digest this information and sat down on the arm of the chair Draco was sitting on. "So what do we do until then?"

"Well, this place _is_ plenty large enough for all of us." Hermione's mother said, looking to her husband for a nod.

"I suppose. Are you suggesting we stay here together for the week?" Narcissa replied.

"As long as you see no harm in it, we don't mind." Mr. Granger said, looking hopeful that they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of trying to decide who got to stay in the house and who got to leave and go to a hotel.

Narcissa looked at the three of them, and then looked at her son who was sitting in a state of shock. "Alright, I think that will be fine."

"Mother, you don't honestly expect us to stay with these mugg…" Draco started.

"Enough! Draco. You're going to have to live with it." She snapped at him. Hermione resisted smirking at his face.

"Fine." He said in a huff, leaning back against the chair.

"Good then!" Mrs. Granger said cheerfully. "We'll move our things into the other two bedrooms." With that, Hermione's parents got up and began moving things around throughout the house.

Narcissa gave a small shrug and walked to the kitchen to put the groceries away.

Draco looked calmly at Hermione, contemplating exactly what to say to her.

Hermione on the other hand, spoke first. "Draco, we're going to have to survive this week without killing each other. Then, we will never have to see each other again. Can we at least be civil?" She sighed, waiting for him to snap back at her.

"Fine. You stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours."

"Easy enough." She said, getting up to go unpack her things.

Draco grabbed her by her wrist before she could get past him. "And Granger…don't think for a moment that I'm going to be nice just because my mother is around."

"I wouldn't expect any less from you, _Draco._" She put emphasis on his name, hoping that he would realize she was calling him by his first name, instead of some other colorful string of words that she could have thrown together.

He watched as she walked away and down the hallway, wondering to himself exactly how much he was going to have to put up with her.

"This is supposed to be my vacation. I'm not supposed to have to put up with her anymore!" He sighed, exasperatedly. Eventually he got up from his seat and went to his room to find a book to read out on the back deck.

Hermione had beat him to it though, and after unpacking her room had gone out to the back porch to enjoy the sound of the ocean and to read. Just because she was out of school didn't mean that she was going to stop doing what she loved to do.

Draco walked out of the screen door to see Hermione, curled up on the swing, reading a book. She looked up at him as he walked out.

"Can I help you?" She asked, placing a finger in her page and closing the book.

"I'm going to read." He stated, walking over to the other end of the deck and sitting down on one of the lawn chairs.

Hermione shrugged and went back to her book. She soon found it hard to concentrate and began to look up at Draco occasionally. Eventually she just couldn't take anymore of the silence.

"What book are you reading?" She said, watching as he looked up at her in confusion.

"What?"

"What book are you reading?" She said again.

"A Collected Works of Edgar Allen Poe." He said, holding up the book for her to see.

"I didn't expect you to read muggle authors."

He shrugged, "Poe is one my favorites."

"I love his work," she agreed, looking out at the ocean. She wanted to say more, but couldn't think of anything, so she got up to walk to the edge of the deck and look down at the beach.

"It's so incredible." She said, watching as the last of the sun began to sink beneath the ocean.

"Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean--roll! Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain; Man marks the earth with ruin--his control Stops with the shore." Draco recited, his face toward the ocean and not looking at Hermione.

She looked at him quizzically.

"Byron." He stated simply, looking at her.

She nodded, not really knowing how to respond to him. She looked up to the sky, admiring the stars and how clearly they were shining. "I think I'm going to go and sit in the hot tub for a bit." She said, not really sure why she was telling him, knowing that he probably didn't care.

He didn't reply, so she went into the house to change into her swimsuit and grab a towel. Her parents had finished unpacking everything and were sitting in the large living room, watching the television. Narcissa, Hermione saw, was sitting in the same room as her parents, reading a book. The sight was almost too much for Hermione, and she began to chuckle as she went to her room.

Once outside, Hermione found a hot tub big enough for 8 people that was already on and running. She put her towel down on a chair and slid into the hot tub, the bubbles swirling around her body. She let out a soft moan as she felt her muscles relax for the first time in probably 6 months.

She sat there for a while, enjoying the heat and the steam, laying her head back and looking up at the brightest stars she had ever seen.

"Its so clear out here, you can see all the major constellations." She heard a voice say.

With a gasp, she sat up and turned around. Draco was standing there, looking up at the sky.

"Draco! Don't scare me like that!"

"I couldn't resist. You were so intent on those stars, I had to break your concentration somehow." He snickered, walking over to a chair and sitting down to look at her.

"You're insufferable." She sighed, sinking lower into the water.

"I try."

"Do you want something? Or can I finish my soaking in peace?" She snapped, looking at him impatiently.

He shrugged, got up, and walked down the stairs to the beach. Hermione slipped back into her thoughts and rested her head back on the edge of the hot tub.

Eventually, Draco returned from the beach, carrying a large piece of wood. She looked at him strangely as he put the wood up on the table.

"What is that?" She said.

He jumped as he turned around. "I didn't know you were still here…Its driftwood."

She nodded, turning off the hot tub and getting out. Draco seemed to stare at her as she dried off her legs and wrapped the towel around her body. She walked over to where he was standing and touched the wood. "It's so smooth."

"Its great to make things out of. My entire room is covered in sculptures I made from driftwood." He seemed to get excited as he said this, reminding Hermione of a child who was showing guests all of their toys.

Draco seemed to sense this and paused for a minute, "What do you care?" He said, harshly.

She shrugged. "I don't, I just wanted to see what it was." She replied, her tone gave off the impression to Draco that she was hurt.

Hermione didn't say anything else and walked off to the house, leaving Draco alone. He looked off at the direction she had just come from, wondering exactly why he had wanted to apologize to her. He rubbed his hand over the drift wood one last time and walked into the house again, going to his own room and laying down on his bed.

"This is going to be a long week." He sighed, burying his face into his pillows.

_A/N…ok, so its not as long as the other two chapters, but I figured if I put up another chapter, people would take me more seriously and would actually start **reviewing** my story. _

_Review guys, please? And thanks to **Shout, Kangaroo526, Draco-Herms, Flippa1230, GreenFairy89, Mandy g, **and **Rikku and Gippal Forever**, for adding me to their alerts and favorites lists, and to **Shout **and **Kangaroo526** for reviewing! Thanks guys! _

_Until next time. _

_Love and Fluff,_

_Natalie_


	4. Rocky Days

_A/N…Ah, I really have missed writing. Therefore, you get another chapter! Be happy!_

_Disclaimer…Does it really need to be said? Its obvious that I'm not JK Rowling. _

Hermione woke up the next morning and went out to the beach to watch the sun rise. She slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top and walked quietly through the house so that she wouldn't wake anyone. She walked without shoes on down to the beach and sat down in the sand, playing with it in her fingers.

It was a bit chilly out, but she didn't really seem to notice, she was busy watching all the marine life crawling around her, little fish swimming in the tide pools. She scooped up some water with her hand and let it run through her fingers.

"It's a whole different world out there." She heard a voice say from behind her. She turned around with a gasp.

"Jeff!" She stood up to hug him.

"Hey, Hermione." He smiled, hugging her back.

"What are you doing here!"

"My family is staying at the condo down there on vacation. I was walking along the beach last night and I saw you. I didn't say anything because you were talking to some blonde kid and then you stormed off into the house."

Hermione laughed, "Oh, Draco."

"Draco? Malfoy?"

"The one and only." She sighed and sat back down on the sand, looking up at him and waiting for him to sit next to her. He sat down and she told him the entire story of her vacation so far. They also watched the sunrise together.

Once she was done with her story, Jeff stared off as the last bit of the sun came over top of the ocean. "Unbelievable."

"I know. And now you're here, so you'll make this week a lot easier." She smiled at him and he looked down at her.

"Hermione, you look so pretty sitting there." He said suddenly and very seriously.

She was a bit taken aback but smiled in return, "Thank you."

"No, I'm serious. Hermione, you're really stunning, underneath all that hair of course." He laughed and brushed a stray piece of hair from her face. Hermione seemed to stare at him in wonder as he did so. It wasn't often that a boy said or did such things to her.

She smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. Her hand went to his face and his arm went around her neck. After a moment, they pulled away from each other, Hermione's head still spinning.

"This is going to be an interesting vacation." He whispered, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. She smiled and leaned into him and the pair sat back in the sand and watched as the sun climbed higher over the ocean.

After a while, Hermione said, "I should probably get back, they're all getting up now I'm sure, and probably wondering where I am."

They both stood and wiped sand off themselves, and Jeff leaned in for just one more kiss. "Will you be out later today?" He asked.

"Probably, I should at least get a tan while I'm here." She laughed and began walking toward the condo. Jeff stood, watching her, for a moment before turning to go in the direction of his own vacation home.

As Hermione walked onto the back deck, Draco sat in one of the swings, a grim smile on his face.

"Who was that?" He asked her.

"Why does it matter to you?" She snapped.

He shrugged, "Just curious I guess."

She glared at him and walked into this house, wondering why she had actually wanted to tell him but had refrained from doing it. Sighing, she sat down on the couch in the living room, turning on the television and wondering exactly what Harry and Ron were doing at that moment.

Draco stayed out on the back porch, staring at the spot where Hermione and the mystery boy had just been. "Damn." He mumbled, wondering why it bothered him so much that she had been out there with another boy. "This doesn't make sense," He sighed, getting up and walking over to the edge of the deck and looking down at the beach.

The two carried out their mornings, trying their best to avoid each other and eating their breakfasts in their rooms. Much to their dismay, the Granger's and Narcissa had started to become friendly and were talking all the time. Both of them were afraid of what was going to happen at the end of the week when another condo opened up and one family had to move out.

Around noon, Hermione put on a swimsuit, grabbed a towel and a book, and walked down to the beach. She had been looking forward to laying on the beach and reading since they had reached the condo.

She was about three chapters into her book when she felt a breeze next to her. She looked over and saw Draco fluffing out a towel next to her and laying it on the ground.

"What are you doing?" She said, annoyed by the interruption.

"Laying on the beach. What does it look like I'm doing?" A smirk was plastered across his face.

"It looks like you're annoying me." She sighed, rolling over and going back to her book.

"What ever happened to being civil?" He said, laying down next to her.

"Were you ever civil to me?"

"Fine. We don't have to be civil, I can go back to calling you a Mudblood." He said, his voice getting more malicious.

She sighed and rolled over to face him, he was laying on his stomach, his head propped up on his arm. "Fine. This isn't going to work unless we just stop and be nice to each other. Civil obviously isn't going to work. We only have to be together for 5 more days. Do you think we could just forget the past and attempt to be friends?" She said, obviously swallowing her pride.

Draco contemplated it, looking her in the eyes. Hermione couldn't help but feel a little shiver go down her spine as she looked into his icy blue eyes. He looked so deep in thought that she didn't want to disturb him.

"I'll have to think about it. That's asking a lot." He said, rolling over onto his back and closing his eyes.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, grabbing her book and going back to reading.

"Fine." She heard him say a few minutes later.

She didn't reply but kept reading her book. The two lay there side by side for a while until they were both nearly asleep.

"Hey Hermione!" They were both woken up by a voice cutting through the overpowering sound of the surf.

Hermione rolled over to see Jeff walking toward her, she smiled and sat up to greet him. "Hey Jeff."

Jeff seemed startled and took a moment to survey her, "Hermione, you look amazing."

A scoffing noise came from behind Hermione and Draco sat up to look at Jeff. "Honestly." He mumbled, getting up and walking away from the two of them and toward the house.

"What got into him?" Jeff asked.

Hermione shrugged, "I wish I knew."

The two decided to go for a walk down to the pier that was a mile down the beach. They had walked for a few minutes just talking when Hermione felt Jeff's hand reach for hers. Her heart did a little flip and she grabbed it back, moving herself a little closer to him.

Back at the beach house, Draco sat on the porch eating some potato crisps. He had been mulling over why he had wanted to beat Jeff over the head with the nearest blunt object when he had complimented Hermione.

"She's a Mudblood, Draco. She doesn't deserve a pureblood like him. That has to be it. Doesn't it?" He reasoned aloud, trying to make himself sound less crazy than he knew he was. Inside, he knew the exact reason for why he had wanted to murder Jeff, but he wouldn't ever bring himself to say it aloud.

He wandered into the house to find something else to get his mind off of the strange feelings that he was having in his stomach and his heart.

Hermione and Jeff finally made it to the pier when the sun was highest in the sky and was beating down on their backs. Hermione wished that she had brought a cover up or some sun block because she knew that she was probably going to be burnt by the time they returned to the condo.

They walked all the way out to the end of the pier, which was a good half mile out to sea. Hermione was amazed at how far away the beach seemed and yet they were still on something solid. She bent over the edge and looked down. There was a sting ray floating off the edge of the pier and many fish were swimming around the poles going into the ocean.

"Its incredible. It really is another world out there." She said, looking out at the ocean.

"Yeah, kind of like our world. Its all a mystery." Jeff whispered, stepping closer to Hermione.

"I'd love to see it though, I haven't really gone swimming out there yet. I want to go out and really see all the life out there." She said, looking back down at the stingray.

"I'm sure you'll get to sooner or later." He said, a smiling crossing his face.

Hermione looked at her watch, "We should probably get back soon, my mom is making lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, I'd love to meet your parents."

Hermione frowned, "Oh yes, well, I should warn you. My father likes a strong hand shake, and my mother will fall for anyone with a nice smile. So you have my mother won over already." She laughed.

"I think I can do the strong hand shake, and I'm not worried about impressing either of them, it won't be too hard, right?"

Hermione shrugged and began walking down toward the other end of the pier. Jeff smiled and followed her back down the beach.

When they returned, Hermione saw that Draco was laying out on the towels they had been on before. She didn't bother him and instead went into the house, Jeff in tow.

"Mum? Dad?" Hermione called out, walking through the sliding glass door leading to the living room.

"In the kitchen, love." Hermione heard her mother call, she looked back toward Jeff who gave her a slight smile and began walking toward the kitchen.

"Mum, Dad, this is Jeff." Hermione beamed as they walked into the kitchen. Her mother turned around from the stove where a pot of tea was boiling.

"Jeff." Her father said, his voice an octave deeper than what it normally was. He stuck out his hand and Jeff shook it as firmly as he could. Hermione tried her hardest not to laugh.

"Hello, Jeff." Her mother said, holding out her hand as well. Jeff was obviously a lot more gentle with her mother.

"Jeff is from school, he was Head Boy with me this year." Hermione informed them.

"Oh, so he's a…" Hermione's mother stopped herself as Narcissa glided into the kitchen.

"Jeffery?" She squealed, running over to hug the boy. Hermione looked at her parents, confusion evident all over her face.

"Hello, Aunt Narcissa." Jeff replied with a smile. It was obvious that the two knew each other. Hermione looked toward Jeff, waiting for an explanation. "Narcissa and my mother were best friends a long time ago, she is my God-Mother." He explained.

Hermione nodded, allowing the idea to sink in. It still seemed strange to her that two people who were so different could ever have any relation.

"Well isn't this a wonderful little reunion." Draco drawled, leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen.

Narcissa didn't seem phased by her son entering the room, she was still fawning over Jeff. "Is your mother here as well?"

He nodded as she squealed again, she seemed like a five year old girl who just found out she was going to the fair.

"Well, you're going to have to take me down there right now so I can see her!" She said, dragging him toward the door.

Jeff looked toward Hermione with a look that screamed, "Save me!"

Hermione shrugged as Narcissa dragged him from the house and turned back to her parents.

"Well, he seems nice." Her mother said, as if nothing had just occurred.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went to her room to lay down until Jeff was released from Narcissa's grip. Unknown to her, however, Draco had followed her down the hallway.

"Jeff Bowen." He smirked, again leaning against the doorframe to her room.

Hermione glared at him from her bed. "Why do you care so much, Draco?"

"He's a relation, and a pure…"He stopped himself before finishing his sentence. Hermione looked at him intensely.

"A pureblood? Is that what you were going to say, Draco? Didn't want to get the pure blood and mine mixed? Is that it?" She glared at him, her voice so intense that Draco couldn't figure out if she was more angry or hurt.

"I'm…" He couldn't find the right words.

"Get out of my room." She said, her voice as calm as possible.

Draco nodded, defeated, and turned around to walk out of the room. When he finally shut the door behind him, Hermione couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or scream. She buried her head into her pillow and did both.

Draco stood outside the door, listening to her sobbing. For once in his life, he wished that he could just reach out and take back his own words. He actually felt sorry for the girl who he had hated all of his life.

He sighed and walked out to the beach, he knew that he was going to need a long walk to figure all these feelings in his head out.

_A/N…Ah…yes…No Draco/Hermione action quite yet…but its coming, I promise!_

_Thanks to the following for reviewing: **KangaRoo526, Princess Sweety, no.1slytheringurl**, **A Story of the Year, Slythrin Corps, OneWhiteTulip, **and **marshmallowey-pumpkin. **_

_Another thanks to the following who put me on their alerts and favorites list: **ErikaSnape, no.1slytheringurl, pomme2terre, A Story of the Year, aperfectattitude, MotorMouthMilli, **and** Sylthrin Corps. **_

_The next chapter will be coming soon, I hope. Probably around Friday/Saturday. Leave comments guys, I love them!_

_Love and Fluff, _

_Natalie_


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